Along with the rights granted us as United States citizens, we also have certain responsibilities to the society that grants us the freedoms we have. We need to focus on the concept of personal responsibility. We are each personally responsible, to a large degree, not only for our station in life; but also responsible for accepting the consequences of our actions. We as a culture need to stop leaning on the crutch of "victimization" and accepting the idea that we are each responsible for what we do in our living. The United States affords each of it's citizens the opportunity to achieve anything; we are only limited by our desire to achieve. If we choose another path - such as a criminal one, we must be prepared to accept personally the consequences. Too often, we put the PC spin on to explain aborhant behavior, we glorify thuggish, criminal behavior from "professional" athletes. Athletes have been given an enormous gift in their abilities. They make millions of dollars, yet we excuse their negative social behaviors because they are "victims". Until the consequences for negative behaviors are as serious (and enforced) as the rewards for positive behavior are given, personal responsibility of the individual will take a back seat to the crutch of victimization. Just my 2 cents.
